Automobile accessory



C. W. SCHOPPE. AUTOMOBILE ACCESSORY. APPLICATION man JUNE 27, 1921.

Patented lm enf'or- CARL WILHELM SCHOPPE, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

lAlTAlti.

Application filed. June 27,

To all whom it may camera:

Be it known that I, CARL WILHELM Sonorrn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnoniah and State of Oregon, have invented a new and useful Automobile Accessory, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automobile accessories, in which a foot mat on the running board may be converted 1nto a guard railing, in case said running board is intended to be used for carrying packages.

The objects of my invention are to furnish a mechanism which serves the purposes of mat and guard railing equally well, which can easily be installed in any automobile, and which is quickly changed from one purpose to the other.

I attain these objects with the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. I is an elevation of my mat when used as a guard railing.

Fig. II is a plan View of Fig. I.

Fig. III is an end elevation of Fig. I as seen along the line A-A. I

Fig. IV shows the position of the guard railing in relation to the running board, when used as a foot mat.

Fig. V is a perspective iliary guard rail.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The body of an automobile is designated by the numeral 1, the running board by 2, and the mat which also functions at times as a guard railing, by 3. The mat may be composed of any suitable material, the one in the drawing happens to be a fabricated combination of steel and leather. By means of the cotter pins 4, one edge of the mat is hinged to the running board; the other edge is stiffened by-a metal bar 5, and to the angularly bent ends of thelatter are pivoted the links 6. Attached to the ends of the links, by means of the knee joints 7 are the links 8, and the latter are hooked into the eyes 9 in the body of the automobile-suit able eyes may be formed of bolts with the headed ends bent over as shown in Fig. II.

An auxiliary guard rail is provided in the shape of a rod 10 with notches 11 (Fig. V).

view of an aux- Specification of Letters Patent.

AUTOMOBILE ACCESSORY.

Patented May 23, 19922.

1821. Serial No. 480,525.

This rod is placed into the corresponding notches 12 in the links 6 and 8, and by this means even a thin package may be pressed tightly against the mat and held securely in place. \Vhen not in use the rod 10 is carried between the spring clamps 13 on the metal bar 5.

In Fig. III the manner of folding the links and the mat is clearly illustrated. First the link 8 is lifted off the eye 9 and folded against the link 6 in the direction of the arrow 14; then both links are folded against the mat in the direction of the arrow 15; thereupon the mat itself is folded against the running board in the direction of the arrow 16. The ensuing position is shown in Fig. IV.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that my objects have been accomplished, and, though I have shown the preferred form of construction, I reserve to myself the right to make minor changes, pro viding I do not violate the spirit and principle of my invention.

I claim.

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of an automobile having a running board, with a foot mat hingedly at tached to the edge of the running board, said foot mat being capable of standing on edge at right angles to the running board, a knee-jointed link pivotally attached. to each upper corner of the foot mat, an eye attached to the automobile opposite each of said upper corners, said eye being adapted to support the other end of said link, notches in the upper edges of said links, and a rod extending throughout the full length of the foot mat and reposing in the notches of the links in parallel relation to the mat.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of an automobile having a running board, with a foot mat having one edge hingedly attached to the running board, spring clamps attached to the edge of the foot mat opposite the hinges, and a rod of slightly greater length than the mat removably secured in the spring clamps.

Signed by me at Portland, Oregon, this 20th day of June, 1921.

CARL WILHELM SCHUPPE. 

